


Mirrors

by Shi_no_tamashii



Category: Penn & Teller RPF
Genre: Gen, Mirrors, Past, Penn POV, Silence, Teller POV, Thoughts wander far, gotta love them, present, puzzle pieces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 13:17:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6240793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_no_tamashii/pseuds/Shi_no_tamashii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They resembled mismatched puzzle pieces when they started out as a duo act, but they started to form one whole as time passed by. They became friends.<br/>Teller's PoV (just random thoughts) in chapter one.<br/>Penn's PoV (more random thoughts) in chapter two.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone ideas for another Penn & Teller fic? Feel free to tell me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

** Teller's point of view **

People think I am mute. They think I don't have a choice in whether I want to voice my thoughts out loud or not. They assume I am born like this. Speechless. No voice to make sound with. But I am actually a very talkative person. I share my opinion in what can be easily described as perhaps not the most polite way, but I can. On stage, or in character, I keep my thoughts to myself and myself only. Not even Penn knows what's going through my head when I set foot in our theatre in Vegas. Backstage, I tell stories. Stories of the memories I am so fond of. Penn is a very good listener. At those moments, Penn gets quiet and I start speaking. I have heard Penn quote my words precisely during interviews, which proved just how good a listener the usually loud man is.  
I am proud to call him a friend. Though we were both weary of calling each other friends. Penn often corrected hosts of shows and interviewers when they refered to us as friends.

  
"We're partners. Not friends." He would say before explaining about the difference between us and people who formed an act starting out as friends. Penn and I both agreed on this...we were complete opposits, we didn't match as friends. But we were great as a team on stage. Although, without realizing, we started to become more like friends. We have been working together for over forty years, there was bound to happen something. Not something in the sense of romance, you dirty minded reader.

  
There was a collision of sorts. One that went unnoticed until we realized just how well two mismatched puzzle pieces started to form one perfect whole as time went by. The edges seemed less sharp and the tension was long gone. We became best friends without having any intention to. We were in each other's hair so often we could jump off of a bridge! We were right out sick of each other. And our honesty towards one another was what made our partnership work. We told each other when we wanted to be alone. Penn perfectly understood when I told him I wanted to be alone in our hotel room. He'd repect my choices and I respected his. We understood each other even better than life long friends did.

  
In my time as a teacher I worked fulltime on both my work for school and tricks I would perform on the streets. I sometimes wonder what my old students would think of me now. A boring Latin teacher who rarely smiled, kept talking and looked sorrowful towards everything around him. Not that I was unhappy back then. I loved teaching classes about the ancient dead language. It was a passion which turned tedious when I discovered how much fun I had when I was performing magic. A passion resembling a slowly dying candle. Its gloomy light casting a shadow on the rose I used for one of my acts.  
I had changed dramatically. I started smiling almost constant and my words were silenced once I had a deck of cards in my hands. My old students would probably recognize me by face, but not by actions. I moved briskly when teaching, writing fast on the blackboard. On stage my brisk movements started to become almost liquidized. Moving elegantly around the stage while Penn explained whatever he thought was worth explaining.

  
Penn's loud voice was my guide at times. And I was his guide when he was speechless and turned towards me for guidance. We were two mismatched puzzle pieces. Now we are creating art in perfect synch. Two mirrors facing each other while we stand behind them. Guiding them towards the audience. Allowing them to see our view from behind the mirrors.

 

...


	2. Chapter 2

**Penn's point of view**

I was loud and careless as a kid. I took everthing for granted. F***, I still do. I don't expect my food to be ready the moment I get home, not at all. I'm not taking everthing for granted. Alright. This is getting me nowhere.  
Juggling became my very first passion. Trying to make an impression on people so they would later on remember me was one of my least intentions. I wanted them to enjoy the show and...alright I wanted them to remember me. If only for the way I presented my acts on the streets. I would literally juggle everything I could hold in my hands. Okay, not everything, that's dirty. I've got to stop this.

The very moment I met Teller things started going up hill. I watched him perform on the street and later on I stepped up to him. I hated magic at the time, so it started slightly awkward. I complimented him on his tricks and he, uninterested, thanked me and turned away. I managed to get a conversation going between us which resulted in me coming to look at magic like I never did before. He explained to me with his heart and soul, a visible passion, how magic and trickery was actually a form of art. His silence during the act only adding up on his wise words. I started seeing magic from the other side.  
I was loud. I am known for my blunt honesty and loudly spoken opinions, but I always tried to position myself as someone from the audience. I didn't look through a tunnel. I saw everyone and everything. Magic was like that as well. You couldn't perform a trick when you were in a tunnel. Everyone should see it and find beauty in the astonishing lies the audience usually made up themselves. Yes, you read that correctly. I don't consider myself to be a magician, for there is no magic to begin with. I show you tricks and you make of it whatever you want. Do you see my hand reaching into my pocket? Yes? In that case I'm sure you missed the silent presence next to me moving behind you. Actions get lost to people. That's completely normal. But we play with the human mind in a way that will leave anyone with a smile.

You probably heard me say this before. I have never. Ever. Tasted a drop of alcohol before and I'm not planning to change things that fast either. Why do I mention this? Well, people rarely believe me when I say this. In fact, you don't have to believe what anyone tells you, but you have to trust someone to tell you the truth. Those who often lie will never be fooled like those who only lie when neccassery. Everybody lies, after all.  
Atheists and those who believe are the same f*****g people. The bible can either be taken serious, which will end up in mass murder. Or it can be taken as a joke, that's where the atheists jump in. No one should tell a lie. Something along that line is written down in the bible. Everyone knows that. But people always lie. Saying you're just another human being doesn't justify any murder. Saying you're just another human being when you helped an old lady cross the street, however, does.

Anyway. Teller probably told you this already, but I agree on his words. We are two mismatched puzzle pieces yet we fit perfectly together. How is that? I don't f*****g care.  
I smile at him as I roll the full length mirror in my mind. Imagining my own hands turning the mirror towards the audience in front of us.

"This is us." I tell them as I look from over the mirror to the full theatre.  
Looks of confusion and understanding filling the air as I watch Teller smile, hidden, behind his mirror. I smile back, knowing fully well just what these mirrors presented.

* * *

 


End file.
